This invention relates to holders for cards and the like and more particularly to a new and improved holder for an automobile registration card and the like which is adapted to be affixed to the windshield of a motor vehicle.
With the advent of motor vehicles, each state in the Union developed a motor vehicle registration system which serves the dual purpose of identifying motor vehicles and providing revenues from registration fees. The universal registration system is the license plate which is secured either to the front and rear bumpers of a motor vehicle or, in some states, to the rear bumper only. Additional identification such as the registration sticker which is affixed to the inside of the windshield of the motor vehicle is required in some states. State law often provides that these identification devices be renewed yearly. Accordingly, the continued use of expired identification devices, or the absence of any identification device, indicates to the authorities that the motor vehicle is being operated illegally.
Because of their exposure on the outside of the motor vehicle, license plates must be securely fastened to the vehicle. As such, they are not readily removable. Adhesive coated registration stickers, affixed to the windshield of a motor vehicle, cannot be removed without either mutilating or destroying the sticker. These registration identification devices are specifically designed to prevent ready and convenient removal from the motor vehicle.
In the interest of deterring automobile theft and the unauthorized operation of a motor vehicle without a proper registration, it would be desirable to provide a highly visible registration card or plate that could be prominently displayed inside an automobile when the driver is present and easily removed by him when he leaves the vehicle. Apparatus suitable for this purpose, however, has not been available heretofore.
It is known in the art to provide a metal frame to be attached by brackets to the moldings on the inside of the windshield of a car into which a transparent card can be inserted. In the rear of this assembly is a device which, when activated, illuminates the transparent card. The complexity, expense and bulk of this system, however, diminishes its usefulness as a practical means of identifying motor vehicles. Moreover, because of its size and complexity, it cannot conveniently be installed by the owner.
Also, illuminated roof mounted identification signs have long been commonly used on taxicabs. While these signs often identify a taxicab by call number, their purpose is to indicate to the pedestrian whether a cab is occupied, off duty or available for hire. The use of this type of device on an automobile is prohibitively expensive and aesthetically displeasing. Moreover, such a device is permanently installed on the roof of the vehicle and cannot be readily removed by the operator when the vehicle is not being used.
It is an object of the present invention, accordingly, to provide a compact, inexpensive and convenient device for identifying a motor vehicle that can be easily installed on the windshield by the owner of the vehicle without appreciably diminishing the driver's visibility.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved card holder that is light in weight and easy and inexpensive to manufacture.